Page 14 - Nato

China looms large as Asian leaders seek to enhance ties with NATO

Japan PM will use opportunity to stress the need for relations between Japan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to be stronger, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said

Romania aims to open F-16 pilot training facility for allies, Ukraine

Romania's top defence body has said in a meeting that the country aims to open a regional training hub for F-16 fighter jet pilots from fellow NATO countries and other partners, including Ukraine. The office of President Klaus Iohannis, who chaired the Supreme Council of National Defense meeting in Bucharest on Thursday, said in a statement, "Together with other allies and the company that designs this fighter plane, a regional hub will be created in Romania for the training of pilots." "Romanian pilots who operate F-16 aircraft will be trained here, and the facility will later be opened to the participation of pilots from allied and NATO partner states, including Ukraine," the statement read. Romania, which shares a long border with Ukraine and has been a NATO member since 2004 and a European Union member since 2007, bolstered defence spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The training facility will aim to position Romania as "a regional leader in the field of F-16

Quran burnings have Sweden torn between free speech, respecting minorities

A Quran burning and a string of requests to approve the destruction of more holy books have left Sweden torn between its commitment to free speech and its respect for religious minorities. The clash of fundamental principles has complicated Sweden's desire to join NATO, an expansion that gained urgency after Russia's invasion of Ukraine but needs the approval of all current members. Turkiye has blocked Swedish accession since last year, citing reasons including anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic protests in Stockholm. Then, last week, an Iraqi Christian immigrant burned Islam's holy book outside a Stockholm mosque during the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, an act that the man said displayed his feelings about the Quran. The burning triggered widespread condemnation in the Islamic world. And along with similar recent protests by a far-right activist, it sparked a debate in Sweden about the limits of freedom of speech. Now, Swedish police say they have received new requests for ...

US President Biden hosting Swedish PM in a show of support for Nato bid

President Joe Biden plans to host Sweden's prime minister at the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation's entry into NATO, a week before the alliance's summit. Biden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible, the White House said a statement announcing the meeting. The leaders also will discuss the war in Ukraine and matters involving China. Sweden and neighbor Finland ended their longstanding policy of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Both applied for NATO membership, seeking protection under the organization's security umbrella. Finland, which shares a more than 800-mile or 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, joined NATO in April. But Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has seen its ascension delayed by Turkey and Hungary; NATO requires the ..

Turkey says Quran burning in Sweden raises questions about its reliability

Turkiye's foreign minister said Tuesday that Swedish authorities' failure to prevent Quran-burning protests in their country is raising security concerns and questions about Sweden's credentials for possible NATO membership. But Hakan Fidan said Turkiye would still approve Sweden's membership in the military alliance if Stockholm completes its homework and presses ahead with efforts to address Turkiye's concerns. The fact that the Swedish security system is incapable of preventing provocations and is presenting an image of a (country) that brings problems to NATO instead of more power is making us think in terms of the strategic and security aspects, Fidan said at a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart. When it comes to Sweden's membership in NATO, whether it will become a burden or a benefit has become more open to debate, he said. Sweden and Finland abandoned their decades-long neutrality and applied to join NATO last year following Russia's invasion of ...

Biden to embark on Europe trip from July 9-13 to bolster Nato alliance

During his trip from July 9-13, President Biden will first travel to London, United Kingdom for engagements with King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to further strengthen relationship

NATO tentatively agrees to ask Stoltenberg to remain head for another year

NATO members have reached a tentative agreement to ask Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to remain head of the 31-member transatlantic alliance for another year, according to a US official familiar with the decision. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the decision still needs to be finalized by alliance members. The much-anticipated decision to formally ask Stoltenberg to extend his tenure for another year is expected to happen relatively soon, the official said. NATO members are scheduled to hold their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12. President Joe Biden conveyed to Stoltenberg during their recent meeting at the White House that it was evident there wasn't going to be consensus in the near term among NATO allies on picking a new permanent leader, the official said. Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, has been NATO's top civilian official since 2014. His term was due to expire last year b

Explained: Why Turkey has not yet approved Sweden's bid of joining Nato

Despite Sweden implementing new anti-terror legislation in June, Turkey still claims Sweden has not taken sufficient "concrete steps"

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Nato warns against underestimating Russian forces, increases preparedness

NATO's chief has said that the power of Russia's military shouldn't be underestimated following the weekend mutiny against it by Wagner Group mercenaries, and said the alliance has increased its readiness to confront Russia in recent days. Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance may decide to further boost its strength and readiness to face Russia and its ally Belarus when NATO leaders meet in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on July 11-12. So, no misunderstanding and no room for misunderstanding in Moscow or Minsk about our ability to defend our allies against any potential threat," Stoltenberg said Tuesday. At a meeting in The Hague of eight NATO leaders, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that neighbouring countries would face a heightened danger if the Wagner Group deploys its "serial killers" in Belarus. Stoltenberg said it was still early to draw any conclusions about what Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his forces might do or whether they all might end up in .

Biden denies US, Nato's role in Russia mutiny, calls it struggle in system

President Joe Biden declared Monday that the United States and NATO played no part in the Wagner mercenary group's short-lived insurrection in Russia, calling the uprising and the longer-term challenges it poses for President Vladimir Putin's power a struggle within the Russian system. Biden and U.S. allies supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion emphasized their intent to be seen as staying out of the mercenaries' stunning insurgency, the biggest threat to Putin in his two decades leading Russia. They are concerned that Putin could use accusations of Western involvement to rally Russians to his defense. Biden and administration officials declined an immediate assessment of what the 22-hour uprising by the Wagner Group might mean for Russia's war in Ukraine, for mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin or for Russia itself. We're going to keep assessing the fallout of this weekend's events and the implications from Russia and Ukraine, Biden said. But it's still too early

NATO chief makes last-ditch bid to bring Sweden into fold before summit

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that he will call an urgent meeting in the coming days to try to overcome Turkish objections to Sweden joining the military organisation. It's a last-ditch effort to have the Nordic country standing alongside the allies at a major summit next month. NATO requires the unanimous approval of all members to expand. Turkiye accuses Sweden of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish groups and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt. Stoltenberg said he has held fresh talks on Sweden's candidacy with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as senior officials from Sweden and neighbouring Finland, which became the 31st member of the world's biggest security organization in April. We agreed to convene a high-level meeting in Brussels before the summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius beginning July 11, Stoltenberg told reporters. The aim is to make progress in ...

Denmark to start training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s amid war with Russia

Denmark's government said Monday that the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets has started and the retirement of Scandinavian country's fleet of aging US fighters has been moved up two years. The replacement fighters, F-35s, will be operative by 2025, acting Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said. Initially, the switch was planned for 2027. Lund Poulsen said that NATO-member Denmark has taken the step of starting a training and further education effort for the Ukrainian pilots." We will also consider whether we should make a concrete donation to Ukraine of the Danish F-16 fighters, and how many there should be," he said. Ukrainian pilots must spend six to eight months of training before a possible donation of Danish F-16 aircraft can become a reality, Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR. This does not mean that you cannot make a decision beforehand. But (the F-16 planes) will be in Denmark until 2024, Lund Poulsen said. Denmark has ordered 27 F-35A fighter jets, which

NATO moves to protect undersea pipelines amid Russian sabotage threat

NATO launched a new center Friday for protecting undersea pipelines and cables following the still-unsolved apparent attack on the Nord Stream pipelines and amid concern Russia is mapping vital Western infrastructure for energy and the internet in waters around Europe. The threat is developing, Lt. Gen. Hans-Werner Wiermann, who heads a special cell focused on the challenge, said after NATO defense ministers gave the greenlight for the new center, located in Northwood, northwest London. Russian ships have actively mapped our critical undersea infrastructure. There are heightened concerns that Russia may target undersea cables and other critical infrastructure in an effort to disrupt Western life, he told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. NATO was spurred into action after an apparent attack on two Baltic Sea gas pipelines in September. The suspected attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany, are stil

NATO to protect undersea pipelines, cables amid Russian sabotage threat

NATO launched a new centre Friday for protecting undersea pipelines and cables following the still-unsolved apparent attack on the Nord Stream pipelines and amid concern Russia is mapping vital Western infrastructure for energy and the internet in waters around Europe. The threat is developing, Lt. Gen. Hans-Werner Wiermann, who heads a special cell focused on the challenge, said after NATO defence ministers gave the greenlight for the new centre, located in Northwood, northwest London. Russian ships have actively mapped our critical undersea infrastructure.There are heightened concerns that Russia may target undersea cables and other critical infrastructure in an effort to disrupt Western life, he told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. NATO was spurred into action after an apparent attack on two Baltic Sea gas pipelines in September. The suspected attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany, are still

NATO sees no change in Russia's nuclear posture despite Belarus' claims

NATO sees no sign that Russia has changed its nuclear posture, the head of the military alliance said Thursday, after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that Belarus has already received some tactical nuclear weapons from Moscow. In an interview on state television on Tuesday, Lukashenko brashly warned that he wouldn't hesitate to order their use if Belarus faced an act of aggression. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the weapons will be deployed to Belarus next month and will remain under Moscow's exclusive control. We are, of course, closely monitoring what Russia is doing. So far, we haven't seen any changes in the nuclear posture that requires any changes in our posture, Stoltenberg told reporters before chairing a meeting of NATO defence ministers at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels. NATO's secretive nuclear defence planning group is set to meet on Friday. The meeting has long been planned and is not a reaction to recent developments, but the alliance is ...

Nato debates ways to boost ties with Ukraine as war against invasion drags

NATO defence ministers gathered Thursday to discuss future relations with Ukraine as Russia's war on the country thwarts its hopes of joining the world's biggest security alliance soon. The ministers were also due to take part in a separate meeting at NATO headquarters of the US-led Ukraine Contact Group the forum Ukraine's supporters routinely join to try to drum up weapons and ammunition to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion. The NATO meeting comes just under a month before US President Joe Biden and his counterparts gather for a summit in Lithuania in a symbolic show of support for Ukraine. They are expected to underscore their determination to act should Russian President Vladimir Putin try to expand the war westward. NATO agreed in 2008 that Ukraine would join the organisation one day, but did not set a date for it to start membership talks. As the war ground on, Ukraine applied for accelerated accession to NATO on September 30. With its Crimean Peninsula annexed, and Russi

Turkey, Sweden agree to hold more talks on NATO bid ahead of summit

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year but faced objections from Turkey on the grounds that the two countries harbour members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party and the Gulen movement

Nato set to boost troops on high alert and increase ammunition production

NATO is set to boost the number of troops on high alert and increase ammunition production, its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said

Ukraine making progress, advancing against Russian forces: NATO leader

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told President Joe Biden at an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday that Ukrainians are "making progress with their counteroffensive, which could bolster their position when there's an opportunity to reach a diplomatic end to the war with Russia. The support that we are providing together for Ukraine is now making a difference on the battlefield as we speak, Stoltenberg said. Because the offensive has launched, and the Ukrainians are making progress, making advances." He added, It's still early days, but what we do know is that the more land that Ukrainians are able to liberate, the stronger hand they will have at the negotiating table. Biden said NATO has grown more unified during the Ukraine war and we're going to be building on that momentum when the alliance holds its annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11 and 12. The White House meeting, the fourth between the two leaders, occurred at a moment of particular peril and uncertainty for